Next, Zheng Qiuda took out a few ancestral things and asked Chu Chen to comment on them, but these things are relatively ordinary, only one Qianlong landscape color porcelain vase, which is not bad.

It's a pity that this porcelain is not an official kiln, just a folk kiln work with exquisite workmanship, and the market value is only one or two thousand, but if you change the identity of the official kiln, the value of this porcelain is estimated to be tens of thousands, which is also a little sad about the folk kiln.

Although his own things are not high-quality antiques, for Zheng Qiuda, even if it is not even an antique, it is also an object handed down from his ancestors, and he must preserve it well, and strive to leave it intact to the next generation, which can be regarded as a witness of family history.

At this time, Zheng Qiuda took out a box, and after opening it, Chu Chen took a look, only to see that it was a small box covered with glass, and the inside of the box showed the scene of the old Jingcheng Hutong in Beijing.

The simple and elegant handmade courtyard wall quietly separates the lively market from the quiet courtyard, while the outside of the courtyard shows the folk customs of the capital that you know and do not know, such as foreign cars, rock sugar gourds, knife sharpeners, porters, playing Go, walking birds, shaking empty bamboo, etc.

Although the whole scene is small, it is worth enjoying from any angle, especially those "people", who are all little monkeys who look alive, which adds to the interest of the work. And this is the traditional handicraft "hairy monkey" in Beijing.

Speaking of hairy monkeys, I am afraid that not many people know now, this kind of unique folk art in the capital, according to legend, appeared in the Qing Dynasty during the Tongzhi period.

At that time, the young man of a pharmacy in the capital was bullied by Mr. Ledger. He stumbled upon the fact that the cicada molt had certain image characteristics, and he couldn't help but move in his heart. He decided to use Chinese medicinal materials to create a "Mr. Ledger".

He chose Xin Yi as the torso, and cut off the cicada's nose as the head. The front legs do the lower limbs, the hind legs do the upper limbs, and the image of a person who is not a person, a monkey or a monkey appears, and the first hairy monkey in the world is inadvertently born. After it was spread to the society, it was perfected by people with intentions, and gradually formed the handicraft that is now loved by people.

The little monkeys in these glass boxes in front of them are covered with dense brown or white fine fluff, and their whole body is slightly transparent, at first glance. I thought it was a specimen of a real hairy monkey, and the production was very realistic, which not only showed the agility and liveliness of the monkey, but also reflected the author's very superb craftsmanship.

Seeing these pocket monkeys, Chu Chen said with a smile: "Uncle, your set of hairy monkey zuò is very good, and the framing design and other aspects are very well grasped, which is the best I have seen in all these years." The most flavorful hairy monkey works, very collectible. ”

Uncle Chen was stunned when he heard this, originally he took out this hairy monkey work, just to amuse everyone. Unexpectedly, it was also a collection, he scratched his head and said, "This work is from five years ago." I bought it from an old artist who made zuò hairy monkeys, and I usually have nothing to do when I have something to do. Just take it out and have fun, I really didn't expect it. It is also collectible. ”

Chu Chen said with a smile: "As long as a thing has artistic value, of course it can be collected, not to mention that your hairy monkey work is so characteristic and charming, of course, it is more worthy of collection." To be honest, I'm thinking about buying it now. ”

Uncle Chen said with some regret: "That's really unfortunate, that old artist died of a stroke last summer." Since you like Mr. Chu, why don't I give you this one? ”

"How embarrassing is that!" Chu Chen waved his hand again and again, indicating that he could not take away the favor of others.

Uncle Chen was also hot-headed before, so he said these words, and as soon as the words came out, he regretted it, and now when he saw Chu Chen say this, he said a few more polite words, and he stopped persuading.

On the topic of hairy monkeys, we chatted a few interesting things, and Uncle Chen called his wife and prepared to take back the things he had just taken out and put them away.

Seeing this, Chu Chen pointed to a scroll on the table that should be made of silk and said:

"Uncle, I haven't seen this one yet!"

Uncle Chen waved his hand: "Hey! This is a fake of Zhao Ji's "Willow Crow and Wild Goose", when I first bought it, I saw that it was painted realistically, and it was also a money obsession, plus I didn't know that the real work was collected in the Lu City Museum at that time, so I spent thousands of dollars to buy it, and then I showed it to my friends, only to know that I had fallen into a big trap. ”

Hearing this, Chu Chen frowned, and said, "I think it should be an imitation, not a fake, right?" ”

Uncle Chen smiled and said: "It's really a fake, I went to the Shanghai Museum to see the real work, my one is exactly the same as that one, it can't be an imitation at all." ”

"Exactly the same?" Chu Chen was a little puzzled when he heard this.

At this time, Zheng Qiuda opened his mouth and asked, "Xiao Chu, you obviously haven't seen this painting just now, how can you say that it is imitation?" ”

Uncle Chen and his wife were stunned when they heard this, yes, Chu Chen didn't even look at it just now, how can you say that this is an imitation?

"Because of the material."

As he spoke, Chu Chen took the scroll in his hand and said: "You see, this silk book looks very sparse, and the finish is also very poor, which means that this is woven with a shuttle and a thread of tightening. ”

As he spoke, he took out a magnifying glass and took a closer look, and then said: "And the warp of the silk is made of double silk, the weft is a single filament, the thickness of the silk is uniform, and the weaving is also tight, which should be the characteristic of the silk of the Ming Dynasty." Other than that...... All in all, I think this should be a Ming Dynasty silk painting, and the quality of the silk is very high. ”

After listening to Chu Chen's explanation and conclusion, Uncle Chen and his wife couldn't help but be dumbfounded. What do you mean, is this a fake, is it really an imitation as Chu Chen said?

Zheng Qiuda also looked very surprised, and after a while, he said: "Xiao Chu, but the uncle said just now, it is obviously exactly the same as the real work, to say that this is the second layer of unveiling, but this is obviously a silk painting, and you can't reveal it if you want to?" ”

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Chu Chen laughed: "Lao Zheng, have you forgotten the 'woodblock watermark'?" ”

"That's right, how did I forget that there is still this kind of craftsmanship!" Zheng Qiuda patted his head.

Uncle Chen hurriedly asked, "Teacher Chu, what is a woodblock watermark?" ”

Chu Chen explained with a smile: "Woodblock watermark calligraphy and painting is a unique reproduction process in China. It integrates painting, engraving and printing, and displays the ink rhyme of brushstrokes according to the principle of ink penetration, which can be used to create works of art that reflect its own characteristics, and can also realistically reproduce all kinds of calligraphy and painting. ”

Speaking of which, woodblock watermark calligraphy and painting have a long history in China. As far back as the Tang Dynasty, monochrome woodblock printing already had a considerable level. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were color overprints such as "Lacquer Edition" and "Arch Flower", indicating that there had been greater progress in technology.

Since this craft has always been carried out by hand, it is currently inherited and developed purely as a cultural heritage in our country. From an economic point of view, this is costly, but the results achieved are enormous.

Chu Chen continued: "The production of woodblock watermark calligraphy and painting is an extremely professional and creative process, which is divided into four steps: outline, stereotype, watermark and mounting, and the first three steps are the most important and time-consuming. ”

"It involves not only the quality of the people who make the original work, but also the skills of depiction and carving. In the case of color printing, it involves the exquisite skills of the production personnel, such as materials, pigments, moisture, and even temperature and humidity. ”

Because of this, the success rate of a woodblock watermark calligraphy and painting is quite low, taking Hu Zhengyan's "Ten Bamboo Zhai Calligraphy and Painting" in the Ming Dynasty as an example, a single set of woodblock has taken dozens of professionals before and after ten years of labor, which can be called a huge project and a lot of investment. In addition, the number of times a set of woodblocks can be used is quite limited, and usually, the whole set is only used more than 100 times. ”

Hearing this, Uncle Chen said: "That means that if my painting is a woodblock watermark calligraphy painting, it is likely that there are still many of them, but if there is, it will have been spread a long time ago, right?" ”

Chu Chen said: "I mean that it has been used more than 100 times, but it is possible that it has only been printed once or a few times. You must know that although Zhao Ji's "Willow Crow and Reed Goose" is divided into two parts, it was collected by the Inner Government in the Ming Dynasty, not the emperor himself or the royal family, how could it be watermarked? ”

"And for these people, doing a lot of things often costs less, even if the template is carved, it is normal to use it once and throw it away. And you said that it is exactly the same as the collection of the Shanghai Museum, doesn't it just prove that the level of watermark template is high? This is even more proof of this. ”

After listening to Chu Chen's explanation, Uncle Chen rubbed his hands excitedly, nodded excitedly, and said, "Yes!" Oh, yes! How could I not have thought of this! ”

The old lady said, "Okay, you have a bad heart, don't get excited, let's see if it's right first." ”

"Just now, Mr. Chu said that it was a silk painting from the Ming Dynasty, and it must not be wrong!"

Uncle Chen smiled and carefully cleaned the table, then put on gloves and carefully unfolded the scroll.

I saw that the scene in the previous paragraph is the scene of the crow resting on the willow tree, the willow and the crow are painted without bones, the color is light, and the composition is refined. The thick willow roots, delicate branches, and plump crows are all very delicate and neatly painted. Lou Crow both rested and played, and the form was comfortable and peaceful. The finishing touch is made with raw lacquer, which looks even more radiant. The picture has achieved great success in black and white contrast and sparse intersperse.

In the latter section, four reed geese perch on the lace of the reed grass knotweed, and the color is set in light ochre, which enhances the sparse atmosphere of autumn. Combined, it is the famous Song Huizong Zhao Ji's "Willow Crow and Reed Goose".

Then, Chu Chen hurriedly picked up the magnifying glass and observed it carefully little by little, and after more than twenty minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief, nodded with a smile: "Yes, it is indeed made of 'woodblock watermark', and the level is very superb, at that time, it should not be something that ordinary craftsmen can do." (To be continued......)